Humanitarian aid convoys began crossing into the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Saturday, October 21, reported AP, as the number of those displaced in the strip reached over one million and the death of at least 4137 Palestinians has been reported.
The war began on Saturday, October 7, after Palestinian militant group Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, sending fighters, firing 5,000 rockets, and taking captives, including women, children, and the elderly, which prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of “a long and difficult war.“
As the war between Israel and Hamas escalated and entered its 15th day on Saturday, October 21, out of the 493,000 women and girls displaced from their homes by the violence in Gaza, there are an estimated 900 new widows.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes have triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, causing severe water, food, power and medical supply shortages in hospitals as Israel remains relentless in their attacks. A significant concern has also developed for the region’s impoverished residents.
In Gaza, the health ministry said that at least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed, including 1,600 children and 12,065 citizens wounded due to Israeli attacks.
UN Women estimated the number of widows from the number of women who became the heads of households following their male partner’s death, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, citing the just-released study, “UN Women Rapid Assessment and Humanitarian Response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
“Over 1 million people, almost half the total population of Gaza, have been displaced, and civilian infrastructure across Gaza has been significantly damaged, with 5,262 buildings destroyed or severely damaged to date,” the study said. “The gendered impact of the crisis cannot be overlooked.”
UN Women estimated that 1,487 men were killed, which resulted in a surge of widows, close to 900 new female-headed households, and 3,103 children who have lost their fathers.
Additionally, the UN Women study said the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) October 13 Situation Report said there were 540,000 women of reproductive age in Gaza, including 50,000 pregnant women and 5,522 expected to deliver in the next month.
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